Archive for September, 2015

More often than not, most oil and gas pipeline leaks aren’t known until pipeline operators receive a call from somebody complaining that there’s oil in their field. The leak detection technology around pipelines is not modern, nor is it scientific or even technical. But because of the increase in pipelines that are needed to transport the huge new supply of shale oil, and Canadian heavy oil, throughout the continent, there’s now a more public scrutiny to the industry than ever before. And this lack of more sophisticated leak-detection methods at this day and age will just not fly politically. The challenge is for the industry to take the lead through increasing their leak detection budgets and adopting newer technology that’s already available in the market along with government intervention or regulation. With billions of dollars and profits on the line as both USA and Canada are in need of thousands of miles of new pipelines to get their fast growing supply of oil to the market, this could be that big first step necessary to win over public opinion.

Leaks in the pipelines have always been a problem due to the implied risks and costs associated with it. The said risks can include risk to the equipment, the safety of the personnel, environmental contamination, losses in production, cleanup, medical expenses and even lawsuits. Indeed, even the smallest leaks have the potential to turn into an expensive and dangerous event if not detected and repaired in time. This becomes more critical with hazardous fluids that pose risk to life and the environment. Asel-Tech, a leading manufacturer of leak-detection systems since 2003, introduced the new system on acoustic leak-detection technology. The company applied the acoustic or sonic methodology based on the identification of hydraulic transients created by a pipeline wall rupture at the onset of the leak. With the traditional Sonic Leak-detection System (SLDS) that Asel-Tech offers, the acoustic sensors are installed at strategic points along the pipeline to read the dynamic signals used to identify leaks.

In order to save money and improve its operations, Unitywater has released CCTV-equipped mini submarines and computer-chipped balls to flow through their water mainline. This is one of the many innovative new technologies that Unitywater is rolling out and is called the Submersible Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) Robot, or what the company staff call ‘Rove.’ From an underwater vantage point, it can perform a condition assessment of reservoir interiors to check any structural or safety problems. This saves time and actually improves safety for there is no longer any need to divert water supplies while reservoirs are taken offline for human divers to perform a confined-space entry. Recently, the company used the SmartBall device through 89 kilometres of pipeline in the Landers Shute-Woombye region and it only took 3 hours and 12 minutes. These innovations allow for the monitoring of assets from inside the pipe or reservoir, rather than just drawing conclusions from indirect external clues.

Kerala Water Authority (KWA) will be replacing the Smart Ball and Sahara technology it used previously with helium gas technology to detect leaks in its age-old drinking water distribution network. This helium gas technology involves injecting the inert, non-toxic gas into the live pipeline and the dissolved helium is expected to find its way to the ground surface if there are leaks in the pipeline. The path of the line will be traced along the ground using sensors to measure helium concentration. The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) will be replacing costly leak detection tests with this helium gas technology where the cost for testing a metre line is only around Rs.80 compared to Rs.6.5 lakh for one Smart Ball and Rs.1,000 for scanning one metre using Sahara. Some of its other advantages also include the fact that the line no longer needs to be shut down and the test can also be used in small distribution lines made of any material. A team from KWA is set to visit Mumbai to get a first-hand account of the leak detection tests that have already been conducted.

The Radiodetection PCM+ enables pipeline technicians to carry out preventive maintenance on pipelines giving them longer life and identifying corrosion at an earlier stage. This is just a part of Radiodetection’s commitment to protecting the environment by providing a more efficient locators or detection devices. This PCM+ System consists of a portable transmitter and a handheld locator. It uses a powerful feature set including Automatic Signal Attenuation (ASA), it accurately and easily locates and maps the pipeline even in areas in touch with other metal structures, electrical interference, or congestion, providing simultaneous measurement of PCM current (ACCA) and Voltage Gradient (ACVG). That means it eliminates the need for the operator to manually calculate and perform ‘current spans’ to determine CP currents along a pipeline. The PCM+ provide technicians with the latest in accurate, fast, and reliable pipeline current mapping tools.

Radiodetection’s PCM+ Pipeline Current Mapper System is made up of a hand-held receiver and a portable transmitter that is connected at the CPS station and applies a special signal to the pipeline. The signal can be detected by the receiver at distances up to 30 km (19 miles) to identify the position and depth of the pipe. Once it has been located, the technician can quickly identify coating defects and map the leakage currents both in magnitude and direction along the pipeline. Its feature set consists of a powerful combination of Automatic Signal Attenuation (ASA), Advanced Current Direction (ACD) and Adaptive Ground Compensation (AGC), increasing accuracy and the ability to easily map the pipeline even in areas where there is contact with other electrical interference, metallic structures, or congestion. data gathered by the PCM+ can be sent via Bluetooth® to either a PC or an optional PDA accessory equipment (with GPS), and then be displayed in a number of graphical formats for fast analysis.

For leak detection throughout distribution networks in its Mumbai and Delhi projects, Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is studying the use of helium gas technology by Degremont India, a subsidiary of French company Suez Environment. This is set to be done before submitting a feasibility report within a month as part of its goal to recharge the Non-Revenue Water Management (NRWM) units. Compared to the smart ball technology they used previously that had cost Rs. 900-1000 a metre yet failed KWA’s requirement of detecting leaks in smaller pipelines, the helium gas leak detection project would only cost a small fraction of that at about Rs. 80-90 per metre and has the advantage of identifying the leaks even when deployed in small-size pipelines. Mr. Ajit B. Patil, Managing director of KWA said the helium gas technology leak-detection project would become an integral part of NRWM unit as it would help plug the large amount of physical water loss, which is one of the two components of non-revenue water (the other one being revenue loss).

The Radiodetection RD7100 is a geophysical surveying instrument that’s powered by their most advanced locating technologies. It’s used in locating, tracing, identifying and fault-finding in relation to underground cables, pipes and drains. Each model is optimized for a specific industry (telecoms, water, gas, power, petrochem, etc.), so users benefit from the simplicity of having menu options and capabilities matched to their specific requirements. Some of these industry-specific customer requirements may include detecting and pinpointing underground utilities, scanning for buried utilities before excavation, tracing and differentiating specific target utilities, or improving work practices (e.g. providing proof of work, identifying training needs, ensuring high quality of work). Some of the RD7100’s main features are the Guidance mode (which enables the path of a single utility to be found and traced quickly and the display of directional information alongside proportional distance to help locate the utility and keep the user on its path) and Peak+ mode (which allows users to add either Guidance or Null arrows to the accuracy of Peak mode and results in speed combined with accuracy). They’ve also kept their user interface simple and consistent with their previous precision locators to reduce retraining costs. Being able to accurately mark buried assets ensures minimum downtime during repair or maintenance activities and prevents damage which can be costly to the company as well as its clients.

In a rigorous analysis of more than 40,000 construction firms across Ontario (which is the first of its kind in Canada), Workplace Safety and Insurance Board claims data showed that firms that are unionized reported 23% fewer injuries that required time off compared to their non-unionized counterparts. They were also found to be 17% less likely to experience muscle, tendon, and nerve injuries that affect mobility; and 30% less likely to suffer critical/life-threatening injuries. The new province-wide study examined injury claims between 2006 and 2012 for construction firms that employed more than 1.5 million full-time Ontario workers. It was led by Dr. Ben Amick of Toronto-based think tank the Institute for Work and Health, and funded by the Ontario Construction Secretariat which represents 25 building trade unions in the industrial, commercial, and institutional sector and their contractors. Sean Strickland, the head of the Ontario Construction Secretariat, believes that the results show the benefits from the $40 million the union invests every year in robust apprenticeships and skills training programs, and the 95 training centres which it operates in conjunction with contractors across the province.

Crash trucks with truck-mounted attenuators have been attributed with saving lives but the workers who drive them are invariably placed in grave danger and just “literally waiting to be struck” said Robert Roy, president of Royal Truck & Equipment Inc. in Coopersburg. In line with this, Royal, the nation’s largest manufacturer of truck-mounted attenuators, is partnering to make driverless crash trucks with Micro Systems Inc. of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, which supplies unmanned vehicles to the military and developed the technology. Royal demonstrated its new driverless crash trucks in a bid to reduce risk on driver’s lives in such dangerous situations, and to save on labor costs. By the end of the year, two of the autonomous vehicles will make their debut at highway construction sites in Florida under a state Department of Transportation demonstration program. Royal said the terms of the agreement with Florida’s transportation department are still being negotiated.